Fish, Fruchter and Stendel

Dynamic trio keeps improving the
lives of patients

Aaron Fish and his wife, Wally, have been friends and colleagues of
Ethelyne and Mortimer Fruchter and Manya and the late David Stendel for 60
years. Together, driven by their unwavering interest in and passion for health
care, they have played a key role in empowering the JGH to provide superior care
to thousands of patients, year after year. The PET/CT scanner in the Division of
Nuclear Medicine, the state-of-the-art 64-slice CT scanner in the Department of
Radiology, the digitized electron microscope in the Department of Pathology, the
ultrasound machine in the Emergency Department, and the 3D digital
echocardiography machine in the Division of Cardiology (the first in Canada) are
among the numerous achievements and impressive advances resulting from their
joint efforts just in the past 10 years.

This year, as part of the Power to Heal capital campaign, the trio made
another combined major gift to supplement government funding and help the JGH
Division of Radiation Oncology become the first site in Quebec to have a
state-of-the-art Truebeam linear accelerator, the most advanced radiotherapy
technology in the world. The Truebeam offers greater speed and precision and
enhanced patient safety and comfort, as well as new imaging and treatment
capabilities that allow for faster and more efficient treatments, improved
treatment capacity and delivery workflow, and new possibilities in treating
complex cases that would not have been considered treatable before, such as some
cancers in the lung, breast, abdomen, and head and neck.

"The need for
medical facilities and equipment is always there, regardless of the state of the
economy, and even more so when budgets are tight," notes Mr. Fish. “Contributing
to the purchase of a specific, highly specialized and technologically advanced
piece of equipment such as the Truebeam is a most rewarding experience," adds
Mrs. Fruchter, “because you know it is going to help improve the treatment of
cancer which will, in turn, markedly improve the lives of patients suffering
from this deadly disease."

“Considering that about 50% of people with
cancer will be treated with and benefit from radiation therapy, the Truebeam
linear accelerator is truly a gift of immeasurable benefit to the JGH and the
entire community,"says Myer Bick, JGH Foundation President and CEO. “The Fish,
Fruchter and Stendel trio keeps on inspiring the people who labour within these
walls. Their level of commitment and generosity is nothing short of
extraordinary. The JGH family is truly grateful and very fortunate to be able to
count on such stalwart benefactors."